3.1 Phillip Lim Sample Sale: Wrinkled and Bagless

By 9:30AM lines swelled down the stretch of Spring Street and crawled around Varick as teeth chattered, while anxiously waiting for the 10AM start to the 3.1 Phillip Lim Sample Sale.

With temperatures not quite reaching 40 degrees, there was only the notion of discounted prices of one of SoHo’s favorite designers to warm waiting shoppers up. By 10:10AM, the line slowly began to move as small clusters of shoppers were ushered onto a freight elevator, which is located in the left rear of the building’s parking lot, around the corner from 304 Hudson Street on the north side of Spring Street. Keep in mind, they only allow 5-10 shoppers on this elevator at a time, which caused the line to rapidly grow.

At 10:40AM an angry shopper exited the sale and dejectedly announced to the line: “No bags left! If you’re waiting to score a Phillip Lim bag, don’t bother!” This prompted quite a few shivering Lim fans to cut their loses and exit the line, after muttering a few obscenities.

Those who remained stated they were hoping to score killer outerwear, an article of clothing they wished they possessed at that given moment.

By 11:15AM I finally reached the finish line and took the freight elevator up with four other shoppers. After strolling through a kitchen of sorts, shoppers are forced to check their coats and bags before entering the sale’s sundrenched loft with 3.1 Phillip Lim sweaters and clothing strewn all about (there was literally a mountain of ditched goods just hanging out in the corner).

Most shoppers crowded around the racks that held a dismal collection of heels, as well as a few clutches and small bags, but nothing to bat your eyes at; the angry shopper was right: there were no bags left. The few remaining shoes (all priced at $100) included the Absinthe Green Braided T-Strap Evening Heel ($100, various sizes, pictured), and the Brandy High Cut V Pump ($100, various sizes, pictured).

The first rack of clothing featured a nice collection of pants, skirts and shorts, probably the only assortment of apparel that wasn’t terribly wrinkled or sloppily hung up. Mind you, there was no photography allowed, but I certainly did my best to sneak a collection of cell phone snaps. I saw quite a few pairs of wool pants that were worth a peak for their $75 price tags and all skirts are priced at $100, while shorts are marked at $75.

Near the disastrous shoe rack that appeared to have been attacked by savages, were two small racks of evening dresses. Every dress on this rack seemed as though it had been tried on already and hung up inside out, but through the mess I was able to find a nude and sheer cocktail dress embroidered with leather and jewels ($400, pictured) as well as a nude pinstripe pocket top ($100, size 6, pictured).

Please note: Don’t be defeated if you’re not a size 0-2 or in some cases 4-6 (sample sizes) because I did notice quite a few pieces that were size 8, as well as medium and large sweaters and shawls.

Moving on to the tops section, my anxiety over the wrinkly clothing heightened (OCD, much?), but I tried to not let it distort my opinion of the high fashion 3.1 Phillip Lim clothing before me. The trend of the sale (aside from the aforementioned wrinkles) was a large pallet of nude colored tops, with many yellows and beiges blended in. The thinner blouses, such as a sunbleached white sweater ($150) and the midnight blue zip track sweater ($150) were so delicate, I would bet money they would fall apart after one wear.

My advice to you is to focus mainly on the heavy weight sweaters and blazers. An unbelievably soft camel fur button up cardigan was available in all sizes ($150, various sizes, pictured), as was a pear colored wool shawl ($150, various sizes, pictured), and don’t miss the Collarless Knit Jacket ($175, orig. $550, size 6, pictured), or the oatmeal bubble zip up sweater with pink thread ($150, pictured), and the thick emerald green sweater dress ($150, pictured).

A messy pile of leather belts ($50) was arranged on a table, with a few pairs of gloves thrown in with them ($50). The men’s section was pint size and certainly not worth the wait in line. Note that there are no dressing rooms, women were undressing and trying on in a tight corner, visible to the entire room. Within this small area lied another heaping pile of unwanted clothing, where I’m sure some goodies and not-to-miss items existed, but who would be able to get to them?

If you’re looking for struggle, frustration, and disappointment then 3.1 Phillip Lim is the way to spend your day. If you’re not, you better stick to your warm home and scour the Internet for sales on Lim items. As a last ditch effort at Lim satisfaction, ShopStyle is holding a “Pin to Win” a 3.1 Phillip Lim bag, which may be your only hope at a discounted (or free) Lim bag today.

Womens

Woven Tops/Shirts

Long Sleeve: $150
Embroidered/Woven: $150
Short Sleeve, Sleeveless, Tanks: $100

T-Shirts

Long Sleeve, Short Sleeve, Tanks: $50

Sweaters

Embellished/Embroidered: $250
Cashmere: $200
All Other: $150

Bottoms

Leather or Sequin Skirt/Pants: $200
Wool, Casual, Silk, or Pleated Skirts: $100
Pants/Jeans/Shorts: $75

Dresses

Embellished/Embroidered/Sequin Dress: $400
Evening Gown: $400
Cocktail Dress: $300
Sweater Dress (Cashmere): $200
Sweater Dress (Wool), T-Shirt Dress, Day Dress: $150

Outerwear

Shearling Coats: $800
Fur Coats With Jewels: $600
Fur Coats Without Jewels: $500
Leather Jacket: $450
Fur Vests: $300 to $350
Coats: $300
Trench Coats: $200
Jackets: $175

Accessories:

Large Bags: $400
Medium Bags: $300
Small Bags: $150
Clutches: $150
Shoes: $100
Belts: $50
Necklaces: $50
Scarves: $75
Fur Scarves: $150
Gloves: $50
Fur Gloves: $100
Sunglasses $75

WHEN: 11/15 – 11/16; Th-F (10-7)

WHERE: 304 Huston Street
between Spring and Vandam Sts
Eighth floor north
Use freight entrance on the north side of Spring Street
between Hudson and Varick Sts

By Caitlin Colford

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Posted by Caitlin Colford at 02:10 PM
bargain news , Opinions , SALES , Sample Sale Reviews , The City |